


The Wonder of the Sea

by slashsailing



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Aquariums, Bonding, First Kiss, Happy Ending, Imprinting, Love at First Sight, M/M, Merpeople, Soul Bond, Soulmates, Telepathic Bond, Transformation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-18
Updated: 2014-04-18
Packaged: 2018-01-19 20:44:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1483258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slashsailing/pseuds/slashsailing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Becoming attached to a merman after a trip to the aquarium wasn't exactly what Leonard had in mind when he went to visit 'a wonder of the sea' exhibit. But it's quite clear that he has, indeed, become attached. The only question now is, what will he do about it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Wonder of the Sea

When Christine tells him about the new exhibit at the aquarium Leonard doesn’t believe a word of it. A merman? It’s ridiculous she would even believe he’d fall for it. Until she brings him a copy of the exhibit’s pamphlet.

_‘A wonder of the sea: the merman.’_

There are photographs of a lean torso that becomes a tail. Skin that devolves into scales. Leonard can’t believe it. He’s not sure he ever will.

The only thing he can do is go and see the creature for himself.

And oh what a mistake that was.

Leonard goes one morning after his shift has finished, they’re only just opening the aquarium and he has to go and get a coffee in the aquarium cafeteria because the merman exhibit doesn’t open for another half an hour. The coffee is too weak and no amount of sugar seems to help it taste any better so he discards it and begins to head towards his destination. It’s a Tuesday and the aquarium is practically empty.

A wonder of the sea, indeed.

He’s more beautiful than any photograph could ever hope to capture.

They’ve named him James, the supplanter, because his enclosure replaced the sting ray enclosure, now the rays are in with some bass on the other side of the aquarium and James is getting all the attention.

He deserves it.

The merman is awe inspiring. The eighth wonder of the world.

Leonard walks around the perimeter of his tank; trying to see the creature from every angle. It’s not a huge tank, perhaps the size of the kitchen-dining area of his uptown apartment and about ten feet high. Leonard imagines the merman would need much more room to swim. He can’t imagine what it would be like to walk around his apartment all day but be unable to go anywhere else. How can the creature be happy here?

Leonard taps the glass, only gently, but the vibrations get the merman’s attention. He’s lying stomach down on the floor of the tank. His tail is swishing languidly. His scales are bright white but they catch the colour of everything in the tank, the bright red and orange of the coral, the deep blue of the castle tower ornament he’s lying beside.

The enclosure looks like a glorified fish bowl. But James is no gold fish.

As the creature makes the few laps of his tail towards Leonard, the beautiful features of his face are made clear too. His eyes are bright, cerulean blue and his hair is gold. It looks soft and free in the water and his eyes make him look so alive, even though he is being kept far away from his natural home.

He looks at Leonard like there’s no one else in the room, assessing, hopeful.

“Hello,” Leonard says gently and the creature startles but he doesn’t take his eyes away from Leonard’s; and, after a moment, James pressed two of his fingers to where two of Leonard’s still linger on the glass.

James presses his torso to the glass; it’s tanned some, the way Leonard’s skin gets in the winter. Not quite milk bottle white but not bronzed the way he is when he’s spent a few shirtless weeks on a beach in Savannah. It’s creamy, golden. Glowing; like everything else about him. His lips are pink, and he has pink gashes over his ribs that must act as gills.

Leonard’s never felt so drawn to a creature. Being near Jim feels almost medicinal, cathartic. He feels like he can finally move on from the death of his father, from his divorce, from the lost custody battle. He feels like he could walk out of this San Franciscan aquarium and turn his life around, make it all better.

He doesn’t know why.

James is still staring at him. Unblinking.

The merman sets his forehead against the glass, bowing slightly. Leonard wants nothing more than to get in the water, to swim alongside this glorious creature.

It’s been nearly two hours. It’s hardly felt like two minutes.

James’ enclosure closes for lunch. Leonard should go home, shower, and then call Jocelyn and Joanna, his mother, Grams. He needs to eat and sleep and shave. He needs to do all this before the aquarium closes, because he needs see James once more before the day is through.

#

With his life in order, or better order than it has been in a very long time at least, Leonard is hit with an amazing sense of calm. He has two hours to spend with Jim before the aquarium closes at eight. His hospital shift starts at ten.

Jim seems to awaken immediately as Leonard steps into the room. He bursts to life, his tail shimmering dark blues and indigos, the colour of the dimmed room and the dimmed water.

Leonard notices gold tracing on his skin, filigree patterns that threat around his upper arms and under his clavicles, up his neck. They weren’t there before, Leonard’s sure of it. They look bolder as Leonard steps closer. James is smiling. It’s the first time Leonard’s ever seen it.

“He really likes you,” a younger girl in the aquarium uniform says. Her name tag reads Janice. “He lights up when he’s happy, it’s only happened a few times, around children and once when there was a guide dog. And you.”

“He shouldn’t be in that tiny tank,” Leonard says ruefully.

“He shouldn’t,” she agrees, “but aren’t you selfishly glad he is?”

She says it as if James has been plucked from the ocean for him specifically. As if he’s a gift just for Leonard.

He ignores the young girl and steps closer to the glass, pressing his hand to it, waiting for James to match his movement. There’s a trilling coming from the tank and Leonard realises that it’s James. It sounds like a happy noise, one of comfort and joy.

“You’re beautiful,” Leonard whispers.

James looks away bashfully, a pink blush staining the apples of his cheeks.

“Can you understand me?” Leonard wonders and Jim nods enthusiastically. “What about the others?” Leonard asks, throwing his glance over to Janice and the other two patrons who still frequent James’ room. James nods his assent, and then shifts his head from side to side, as if communicating the fact that this isn’t necessarily a good thing.

Leonard laughs and James’ smile grows even bigger.

“Is your name really James?” Leonard wonders but the merman just shrugs. “Can I call you Jim?”

Jim nods, eyes alight with something wholly unfamiliar to Leonard but it feels like it’s a good sign. Leonard feels happier anyway, as if by magic. He grazes his knuckles over the glass, miming the gesture of running the back of his hand over Jim’s cheek. 

It’s five to eight already, and Leonard doesn’t know how the time keeps flying like this. Jim lets him go but Leonard can feel the anxiety building up in the merman.

“I’ll be back tomorrow morning,” Leonard promises, “first thing.”

#

Twice a day, every day; two hours a piece. Word has spread far enough that people schedule their outings to Jim’s exhibit to coincide with Leonard’s visiting time so they can see the merman do more than just sit at the bottom of his tank, or worse still, hide under the arch of his faux castle bridge.

“You’ve created a telepathic bond.” A specialist, named Nyota, whose main priority seems to be the communication of mer-people, says to Leonard. He’s sitting on the floor, cross-legged, watching Jim swim around the tank. He doesn’t need to look into Jim’s eyes to know the merman’s happier than he’s been all day. Happy because he has Leonard with him. He’s showing off, almost like a lover tempting their mate out onto the dance floor with a sensual sway of his hips.

“Excuse me?”

“We’re beginning to realise that’s how James is communicating, via telepathy. But the two of you… you’ve bonded. It’s like he’s imprinted on you,” she explains.

“I’m not a mother duck,” Leonard scoffs.

“It’s how we think mer-people choose their mate,” Nyota clarifies, “we don’t know, of course, because we’ve only ever encountered James. But the two of you make a good case for it.”

“We’re not _bonded_ , he likes me and I care about him and that’s why I come. He should be in the ocean but he’s not, he’s in this _cage_ and I just need to make sure he’s alright,” Leonard counters.

“Two times a day?” Nyota questions.

“I feel like-”

“Like you’ve known him forever, like he might be the love of your life?”

“No,” Leonard shakes his head, “no of course not, that’s ridiculous.”

“Not if he’s imprinted on you,” Nyota says softly, “you feel what he feels, he feels what you feel. You both have an unspoken communication. You’ve practically been dating for two months.”

“That’s ri-”

“So you’ve said,” Nyota interrupts, “but it makes sense when you think about it.”

“He’s in love with me?”

“You’re in love with each other,” Nyota smiles.

“But he’s a merman,” Leonard counters, “nothing could ever come of it.”

“You could come back after hours, we could get you in the tank with an oxygen supply… test our theory,” Nyota suggests.

“Are you allowed to do that?”

“James is only happy when you’re around; it would make sense to have you around as much as possible. We don’t want to see him upset,” Nyota sighs.

“Then why are you keeping him in a tank so small?” Leonard questions.

“It’s the only space we have,” Nyota admits regretfully.

“When does his exhibit end?”

“We don’t have a date; we were going to wait until the end of the summer.”

“He hates it in there,” Leonard states. Jim’s watching him from the other side of the glass, curious as to what exactly is holding Leonard up. Leonard pats Nyota on the forearm and heads over to Jim. He curls his tail around himself and the luminescent white scale catch the dark green of Leonard’s t-shirt. Jim looks stunning, as always, even though his tan is starting to fade.

“They might let me in to swim with you,” Leonard says, and Jim nods; he’s probably already heard them talking about it, he usually knows things before Leonard does anyway. Why would this be any different? “I’ll need to go home and get trunks.”

Jim smirks at him and rolls his eyes. There is certainly something to be said about the leer of a merman and what it does for one’s ego. Leonard scoffs, and taps the glass at the alignment of Jim’s head.

“My eyes are up here you know,” Leonard snorts but Jim just grins before shrugging and swimming off to the other side of the tank. Leonard watches him go and thinks, not for the first time, how even more beautiful Jim must look in the ocean.

#

When he goes back later that evening the lights that usually illuminate the aquarium are all off, it’s almost pitch black save for a few lights in the various tanks along the walls. Jim’s up by the surface when Leonard enters his room. He’s taking prawns from a dish that Janice has handed him and eyeing the salad that goes along with it dubiously.

“Ah good,” she smiles, “you’re here.”

“Of course I am,” is all Leonard says.

He climbs the metal staircase that is usually closed off and that leads up to a platform above the tank. Leonard’s nervous. A good kind of nervous. Butterflies, he thinks with a self-deprecating smile and a puff of a laugh.

“Hey,” Leonard says gently. Jim pushes the dish towards Leonard who picks out a slice of cucumber. “You’re meant to eat the green stuff too, you know.”

Jim sniffs and chomps exaggeratedly on a prawn. His eyes say ‘no thanks’ loud and clear and Leonard laughs. Jim gestures the water with a nod of his head and Leonard begins to shuffle out of his sweatpants.

“You haven’t even bought me dinner yet, I feel used, Jim,” Leonard jibes and Jim scoffs, pointing to the abandoned dish of left over salad. “Oh, thanks. How romantic.”

Jim looks at him then; it’s the first time either one of them have acknowledged, at least in the other’s presence, that their relationship isn’t entirely platonic and Leonard’s stomach flip-flops at the smugness and _readiness_ he can see in Jim’s eyes.

Janice hands him the oxygen canister and he sets it down by his foot, stripping off his t-shirt and folding it before laying it down atop his sweatpants. He toes out of his shoes and nudges them over with the rest of his personal effects.

When he looks back at the water Jim is grinning and any nerves the doctor might have had about getting in the tank vanish.

The water is cool but not cold. He climbs over the end using the steps supplied and pulls the tank to him, securing the mouthpiece in between his lips and taking a few breaths to make sure it works. Jim swims back to him, holding out a hand and so Leonard uses the shoulder strap to hold the canister in place, taking Jim’s hand and letting the merman pull him out into the centre of the tank, head still above water.

Leonard lets the mouthpiece drop.

“Warn me before you swim under,” Leonard reminds and Jim rolls his eyes, nodding. As if Jim would forget such a small courtesy.

Jim blinks at Leonard who feels a wave of nausea and anxiety ricochet off of him. It bouncy between them until Leonard places his free hand over Jim’s shoulder, rubbing his thumb in easy circles.

“I’ve got you,” Leonard urges. The sentiment is a shared one.

Jim leans his face into Leonard, pressing his forehead against Leonard’s cheek. The merman exhales a relieved breath and Leonard begins to feel braver, he lets his hand wander up Jim’s neck, thumb tracing the strong line of his jaw.

“You’re beautiful,” Leonard whispers, not loud enough for Janice to hear.

Jim lets a tiny smile, shy and almost coy, creep onto his face. Leonard feels the soft press of slightly cold lips to his cheek. He pulls back and looks a Jim for a second, considering.

Jim nods and so, finally, Leonard leans in to join their lips.

It’s just small pecks at first, which turn to playful, open-mouthed kisses. Jim’s teeth are sharper than human teeth, but not by too much. When he nips at Leonard’s lower lip the man yelps slightly but Jim quickly kisses him better. Soon though, Jim, who is stronger than Leonard, has to hold the canister so that Leonard can thread both of his hands in Jim’s sea-salted hair, matted and soft at the same time.

When he pulls away, the doctor is panting. Jim just grins. His ribs are still submerged in the water: he can breathe just fine. He wraps his tail around Leonard’s legs, helping to hold the man above water without Leonard have to exert himself trying to perform some makeshift attempt at a doggy-paddle.

Jim’s tail feels smooth against Leonard’s skin, but even colder than his lips and torso.

Before Leonard’s even begun to feel like they’ve had enough time together Janice informs him it’s nearly half ten. She needs to go. _He_ needs to go.

Jim looks ashen faced and frustrated.

“I’m sorry,” Leonard whispers, kissing his forehead and grazing the back of his hand over Jim’s cheek. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

Jim’s tail tightens before it loosens.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Jim,” Leonard assures.

It doesn’t make the walk home any easier.

#

Leonard wakes after a nightmare, he’s sweating and panting, his head hurts and his legs feel oddly numb. He was dreaming about Jim, about them walking down the street together holding hands, about them tangled in a mess of sheets and limbs and how good that would feel… but then they were suddenly in the ocean; Jim was drowning, being pulled down to the deep by some unknown darkness.

And Leonard couldn’t save him.

Everything feels wrong and it only gets worse when he receives a phone call from Nyota.

“You need to get down here now,” is all she says.

Leonard doesn’t hesitate.

#

The tank is empty when Leonard arrives and his heart plummets. But Jim’s okay, he has to be okay. Leonard doesn’t know what he’ll do otherwise. Not after last night. He can’t go back now, he’s in too deep.

“Where is he?” he questions, looking between Janice and Nyota frantically.

“He’s in the back room, he’s…”

But Leonard doesn’t hear what Jim _is_ or isn’t. He just takes off at a jog, bounding up the stairs and towards the little staff room where Jim’s keepers go to have their lunch and coffee breaks.

He throws open the door and almost collapses at the sight.

Jim’s sitting on one of the squishy chairs, wearing one of the spare changes of t-shirts and the sweatpants that Leonard left in the locker here last night. His hair is wet still, but it looks freshly-washed wet rather than sea-water wet.

“Bones?” Jim grins, standing on shaky legs and almost buckling, but Leonard rushes forward catching him and guiding him back down to the chair. Leonard kneels before him, in between Jim’s outspread thighs.

“Bones?” Leonard questions.

“You’re a doctor, where I… my people, they call them sawbones,” Jim explains.

“You have legs.”

“I do,” Jim nods. “Being a mer, the tails… it’s not supposed to be permanent. We’re supposed to fall in love with sailors and merchants but it rarely ever happens; usually they sail on and we… we die. From heartbreak. Or the bond is too strong and they jump in the water to be with us but they drown… But we- we’re different.”

"I'm not gonna sail away," Leonard promises and Jim laughs, a rich noise, like the tinkling of treasure, bright yellow sapphires and gold clinking in an old fashioned chest. 

"And I'll try not to drown you in the- the ah," Jim makes a rain like motion with his hand, trying to grasp the right word but it clearly alludes him. 

"The shower?" Leonard suggests. 

"Right, the shower," Jim nods. 

“You’re really human now? I'm not dreaming?”

“For as long as you’ll have me,” Jim nods. “For as long as our bond lasts.”

“Forever then,” Leonard states without hesitation.

“It’s a date.”


End file.
